a place to call home
by otherworldviolet
Summary: A collection of drabbles on Naruto, various pairings and characters. 3: the warmth of blue - NejiNaruto.
1. For You

Simply put, I love Lee. I think he's adorable. I was happy for _days_ after chapter 209, grinning like an idiot and continually poking my little brother saying "Lee's ok! He's ok! Gwah, I'm gonna be partying tonight!"

A little embarrassing in hindsight, but hey. Enjoy the fic.

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For You

The more she looks at Rock Lee, the more she sees.

He's not as attractive as Sasuke, definitely. Hell, he's not even as attractive as Naruto, but he has something neither of her team mates has – gentleness. He moves with the grace of a taijutsu specialist, he's devoted, he'll never leave her. He's sweet, and smiles with everything he has. He's honest.

Lee's pure heart is worth all Sasuke's looks, attitude and then some. He does something to her Sasuke never did – he makes her as shy as Hinata, blushing and stuttering about her L-Lee-san.

It's more than a crush. He makes her afraid, paranoid about what he thinks of her. She doesn't train enough, she knows this. She doesn't have a nindo like his. What if he let go of her like she let go of Sasuke?

She takes a deep breath to call out to him, but he steals her voice with his whole-hearted smile.

"Sakura-san!"

"L-Lee... san."

She'll get there eventually. She just has to look up, and see his blush, and she'll know.

= I've been saving my smiles for you =


	2. Ordinary Boy

I wrote this one at work, while listening to Offspring's _Original Prankster_. Go figure.

I have a lot of respect for Naruto as a character. I wish I had his determination.

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Ordinary Boy

Without determination, Uzumaki Naruto would be nothing.

He is, let's face it, talentless and annoying – and that's without mentioning the _you-know-what_. He's loud, obnoxious and cursed, a combination that should have never graduated the academy. But...

Somehow he has turned the thing responsible for his greatest weakness into his most formidable weapon. Through sheer force of will he has clawed his way through the ranks. He loves the village that hated him for so long. He burns like the sun. The blinding, inexhaustible determination of his nindo is something even the elders have been forced to respect.

Today, everything pays off.

Today, he is loved by the village he loves.

Today, he is officially the seventh Hokage of the Leaf.

And the chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto, number one loudest ninja (now number one strongest too, hehehe) have only just begun.

= we'll take all the punches =

Be kind and drop me a review.


	3. The Warmth of Blue

I have a _thing_ for Neji/Naruto. It's one of my favourite pairings, and quite unloved in my opinion…

Hyuuga Neji can see through everything with his white eyes, as if the world and everyone in it were made of glass.

They say it gives him remarkable insight. With his steady, piercing pale gaze he sees everything. They say he knows and understands everyone.

... Except Naruto. The blond has him fooled.

Naruto is everything Neji is not – loud, impulsive, _stupid_... They are opposites. Neji can't understand why Naruto does what he does, and that frustrates him. Frustrates him so much that, of late, it paints his pale cheeks a subtle pastel pink, the colour of sakura petals.

Naruto is different. He is set from a different mould, if he ever _had _one. Maybe that's why Neji finds himself wanting to reach out to another human for the first time since his father died. Maybe that's why this boy with eyes like the clear spring sky has started to thaw the winter in his own.

Neji's starting to think it's not so bad a thing, being stupid. Not his thing, definitely, but... not bad.

__

I'm losing too much blood...

He will see Naruto again. Next time they meet will be in the Leaf hospital – Neji will be in pain and Naruto will be making a fuss, running around like he hadn't just been in the fight of his life just three days hence – demanding to be the centre of attention as usual. Neji will call him an idiot and tell him to shut up, but he'll be happy. They both will.

feel the warmth that the cold inspires


End file.
